He is Luqman ibn Ba'ura: the son of the sister of Ayyub or the son of his maternal uncle. It is said that he was from the children of Azar, and he lived for a thousand years. He met Dawud (David) blessings and peace be upon him and took knowledge from him. He used to give fatwas before the prophethood of Dawud blessings and peace be upon him, but when he was sent as a prophet, he stopped giving fatwas. It was said to him, 'Why?' He replied, 'Should I not suffice when I have been sufficed?' It is said that he was a judge among the Children of Israel, and most of the sayings indicate that he was wise and not a prophet. Ibn Abbas may Allah be pleased with him said: Luqman was neither a prophet nor a king. Rather, he was a black shepherd, and Allah granted him freedom and was pleased with his words and advice, so his story was mentioned in the Qur'an for you to adhere to his advice. Al-Khattabi and Al-Sha'bi said he was a prophet. It is said that he was given the choice between prophethood and wisdom, and he chose wisdom. Mahmoud mentioned the disagreement among scholars regarding his prophethood and noted in that context that he was given the choice between prophethood and wisdom, and he chose wisdom. Ahmad said: There is a significant distance in this, as wisdom is included in prophethood, and a drop from its ocean, and the highest ranks of the wise are lower than the lowest ranks of the prophets in a way that cannot be measured. It is not wise to choose wisdom that is devoid of prophethood. And from Ibn Al-Musayyib: he was a black man from the Sudan of Egypt, a tailor. And from Mujahid: he was a black slave with thick lips and rough feet. It is said that he was a carpenter. It is said that he was a shepherd, and it is said that he used to gather firewood for his master every day. It is narrated that he said to a man looking at him: 'If you see me with thick lips, words of elegance come forth from between them. And if you see me as black, my heart is white.' It is reported that a man stood before him in his gathering and said: 'Aren't you the one who grazes with me in such and such a place?' He said: 'Yes.' The man asked: 'What has brought you to what I see?' He replied: 'Truthful speech and silence regarding what does not concern me.' It is narrated that he entered upon Dawud blessings and peace be upon him while he was forging armor, and Allah had made iron soft for him like clay. He wanted to ask him, but wisdom overtook him, so he remained silent. When he finished it, he wore it and said: 'Yes, you are the attire of war.' Dawud said: 'Silence is wisdom, and few are its doers.' Dawud said to him: 'By the truth of what you have been called wise.' It is reported that his master commanded him to slaughter a sheep and to bring out the two best pieces of it. He brought out the tongue and the heart. Then he commanded him similarly after a few days and to bring out the two worst pieces, and he brought out the tongue and the heart. Dawud asked him about that. He said: 'They are the best of what is in it if they are good, and the worst of what is in it if they are bad.' And from Sa'id ibn Al-Musayyib, he said to a black man: 'Do not be sad, for there were three of the best people among the blacks: Bilal, Mahja' the freedman of Umar, and Luqman. This is the interpretation, for the giving of wisdom is in the meaning of the saying. Allah, glorified and exalted is He, pointed out that the original wisdom and true knowledge is to act upon them and to worship Allah and to be grateful to Him, as He interpreted the giving of wisdom as an encouragement to gratitude. He is Self-Sufficient, in no need of gratitude, Praiseworthy, deserving of praise even if no one praises Him.